Her Daughter's Mother

By: Daniela Petrova

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert, Carlotta Brentan, Dan Bittner, Lisa Flanagan

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

She befriended the one woman she was never supposed to meet. Now she's the key suspect in her disappearance. For fans of The Perfect Mother and The Wife Between Us comes a gripping psychological suspense debut about two strangers, one incredible connection, and the steep price of obsession.

Lana Stone has never considered herself a stalker - until the night she impulsively follows a familiar face through the streets of New York's Upper West Side. Her target? The "anonymous" egg donor she'd selected through an agency, the one who's making motherhood possible for her. Hungry to learn more about her, Lana plans only to watch her from a distance. But when circumstances bring them face-to-face, an unexpected friendship is born.

Katya, a student at Columbia, is the yin to Lana's yang, an impulsive free spirit who lives life at the edge. And for pragmatic Lana, she's a breath of fresh air and a welcome distraction from her painful breakup with her baby's father. Then, just as suddenly as Katya entered Lana's life, she disappears--and Lana might have been the last person to see her before she went missing. Determined to find out what became of the woman to whom she owes so much, Lana digs into Katya's past, even as the police grow suspicious of her motives. But she's unprepared for the secrets she unearths, and their power to change everything she thought she knew about those she loves best....

©2019 Daniela Petrova (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"Beyond the beautiful cover, Daniela Petrova's debut novel is absolutely dreamy and suspenseful.” (Oprahmag.com) 

“[An] impressive debut...burning questions will keep readers on the edge of their seats...a gripping tale of the consequences of obsession. Petrova is off to a promising start.” (Publishers Weekly)  

One of...O Magazine's "The 25 Best Beach Reads of the Year so Far"
New York Post's "25 Best Beach Reads of 2019 You Need to Pre-order Now"

Interesting story, intricate details expertly woven

This story is centered around the themes of a deeply troubled mind, the constant reach toward redemption, lies that stack rather than cover, and in the background — Bulgarian culture. It’s not your typical story of a couple trying to have a baby with an donor egg. There are a lot of intricacies and character development that keeps the story fresh and interesting, as well as a good amount of suspense — especially from the unpredictability of some of the characters. The author does a good job of capturing the essence of egg donor who is Bulgarian, her brashness and bluntness reminds me of family friends from there who now live in the US. The plot moved along at a great pace and I was satisfied with how it wrapped up. Recommended.

The kind of book you can't stop listening to

What a ride! This book was not only a rollercoaster of a thriller, but also a truly honest and compassionate look at the very real challenges of infertility. Written from three different perspectives, the novel gives us a multi-layered, multi-dimensional view of infertility while also delivering a gripping mystery. The narrators were excellent, drawing out the unique viewpoint and personality of each main character. This was the kind of easy read (or listen) you just don't want to put down. Highly recommended!

Bleh

Silly story. Silly characters making absurdly stupid decisions. Made all the more annoying by an overly dramatic narrator for one of the voices. Finished it but can’t say I’d reas another by this author.

Story ok but mail narrator was irritating

The story was just ok. Very melodramatic. Primary narrator’s voice was irritating. Hard to finish even though I wanted to find out ending. Maybe better in text but the story line was slow in places.

Want to meet your anonymous egg donor?

After listening to this book, you'll think twice about your decision.

This book combined the emotional heartbreak of infertility with a "who done it?" murder and the book really moved. The character development was strong, the plot was fast-paced and the narration was excellent.

Far too drawn out

The book goes off onto random tangents of far too much detail. Even when I skipped the 30 sec ahead arrow a few times it was STILL on the same subject of a character’s mind wandering. Just not for me.

Excellent story

I listened to this book on Audible. The narrators did an amazing job at portraying the characters. The story was one that I could not stop listening to because I HAD to know how it ended. So suspenseful. Great book!

Couldn’t wait to get back to it

So many interesting elements. Infertility heartbreak, the length one will go for the one you love even if the effort is misplaced. A touch of feminism & some down right crazy. All expertly developed in the various characters. Definitely recommend.

Brilliant!

i loved the plot, the twists, the characters! thank you! wonderful book ; very engaging!

Just what I wanted!

A good listen for this quarantine period. Interesting. Dynamic. A bit sad. I listened through some indoor workouts, meal prep and general distraction.